Personal sanitary wipe dispensing device

ABSTRACT

A personal dispensing device having a container adapted to hold disposable sanitary wipes within. The container includes an aperture to dispense the wipes, wherein the container includes a selectively openable lid to allow insertion of the wipes into the container. The device preferably includes an attachment feature which coupled to a rear exterior surface of the container, wherein the attachment feature is adapted to attach the dispensing device to an external object. The attachment feature can be an actuatable clip, a loop member or any other mechanism. The device preferably has a rear exterior surface which has an arcuate shape adapted to mate with an exterior surface of a fluid container. The device preferably includes a compartment which is adapted to hold discarded wipes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to hygiene products, and inparticular, to a refillable personal sanitary wipe dispensing device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today, many people have discovered that the timeworn combination ofsoap, water and faucets isn't the only way to clean one's hands, face,or otherwise “wash up.” There exist myriad anti-bacterial gels and wipesdesigned to help people cleanup wherever they may be. However, whilepersonal sanitary gels cannot be used effectively on surfaces such astables and kitchen counter-tops, a variety of sanitary wipes can beeffectively used for these purposes. But they do have limitations, inthat most types of sanitary wipes are packaged in relatively large andcumbersome containers and are thus awkward to conveniently carry fromplace to place, such as at the gym or when fly fishing.

Therefore, what is needed is a refillable personal sanitary wipedispensing device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention is directed to a personal dispensingdevice which comprises a body that is configured to hold disposablewipes in an interior compartment. The body is configured to selectivelydispense wipes, wherein the body is selectively openable to insertdisposable wipes into the interior compartment. The body includes anexterior surface and an aperture in the exterior surface which isadapted to dispense wipes therethrough, whereby the aperture is incommunication with the interior compartment of the body. The deviceincludes a selectively openable lid which is moveable between a closedposition and an open position, wherein the interior compartment isaccessible when the lid is in the open position. The body includes arear external surface which adapted to face an external object andhaving an attachment member coupled thereto. Such attachment memberincludes, but is not limited to, a belt clip, a magnet, adhesive, hookand loop, and loop belt. The rear external surface can have an arcuateshape which allows the device to mate with an exterior surface of afluid container, or other object. The device can also include a disposalcompartment which holds discarded wipes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a personal dispensing device inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the personal dispensing device inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a personal dispensing device inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a personal dispensing device inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown inFIG. 1, the device 100 preferably includes a container body 102 having afront surface 104, a rear surface 106, and two sides 108, 110 betweenthe front and rear surfaces 104, 106. The body 102 also includes a top112 as well as a bottom 114, whereby the top 112 preferably has anopening 115 which leads into a container within the body 102. The body102 also preferably includes a top cover 116 which is preferablyattached to the body 102 at the top 112. The top cover 116 selectivelyopens and closes to allow access to the interior of the container body102. However the top cover 116 can be attached to the body 102 in anyother appropriate way to allow selective access to the interior of thecontainer 102. It is not necessary for the cover 116 to be located atthe top 112. Thus, the device 100 can include an opening means which islocated anywhere on the body 102 (e.g. side, front, back).

The container 102 is preferably sized to contain one or more sanitaryfiber wipes 99 therein. It is preferred that the container 102 isconfigured to receive a stack of wipes as shown in FIG. 1, whereby thewipes 99 are inserted into the container through the opening 114 in thetop 112. Alternatively, the wipes 99 are insertable into the containerfrom any other side of the body 102. The container body 102 ispreferably made of a material which will not rust from the fluid in thesanitary wipe, such as plastic. In addition, the container body 102 ispreferably configured to prevent moisture from escaping from the wipes99 when stored inside the container body 102.

In the preferred embodiment, the body 102 includes a circular dispensingaperture 118 preferably along the front surface 101, as shown in FIG. 1.The dispensing aperture 118 communicates with the interior of thecontainer body 102, whereby individual sanitary wipes are dispensablethrough the dispensing aperture 118. The aperture 118 preferablyincludes a number of times which serve to separate the wipes from oneanother when the user pulls a wipe through the aperture 118. Althoughthe dispensing aperture 118 is circular in FIG. 1, the dispensingaperture can be any other shape or configuration.

A closeable door 119 is shown connected to the body 102 at the hinge132, whereby the door 119 is used to prevent the wipe 99 from beingexposed and thereby preserving the moisture of the wipes 99 when not inuse. The door 119 is preferably able to snap open and shut at the user'sdesire. In another embodiment, the device 100 does not include a door.

In one embodiment, upon the stack of wipes 99 being loaded into thecontainer body 102, the first wipe in the stack 99 preferably protrudesout through the aperture 118 and is exposed. In another embodiment, thewipe 99 to be dispensed is not exposed outside of the body 102, but iseasily able to be dispensed. Preferably, the user simply pulls the wipe99 to be dispensed through the dispensing aperture 118 when desired. Inone embodiment, the dispensing aperture 118 is configured toautomatically draw the next wipe in the wipe stack 99 through thedispensing aperture 118 when the exposed wipe is pulled through thedispensing aperture 118. In one embodiment, the dispensing aperture 118is configured to prevent moisture in the wipes 99 from escaping throughthe dispensing aperture 118 even when the door 119 is open.

As shown in FIG. 1, a stack of wipes 99 are able to be selectivelyloaded into the device 100 through the top 112. In another embodiment,the stack of wipes are able to be loaded into the device 100 through aside, back or bottom of the body 102. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,the wipes 99 are stacked horizontally. In another embodiment, the wipes99 are stacked vertically. In one embodiment, a stack of wipes 99,itself, is inserted into the body 102 by the user. In anotherembodiment, the wipes 99 are configured in a cartridge unit which isinsertable into the container 102 by the user. The cartridge unit can beconfigured to be ejected from the container 102 by actuating a button orother mechanism, whereby the spent cartridge unit is ejected after allof the wipes have been dispensed. The cartridge unit can then berefilled with new wipes 99 by the user in one embodiment. Alternatively,the cartridge unit can be disposed of, whereby the user inserts a newreplacement cartridge unit into the body 102. In another embodiment, theentire dispensing device 100 is disposable, whereby the container body102 does not allow insertion of additional wipes. In one embodiment, thewipes 99 are specially sized to fit within the device 100 of the presentinvention. In another embodiment, the wipes 99 inserted into the device100 are standard sizes which are available in the market.

In one embodiment, the device 100 includes a disposal chute 120, asshown in FIG. 1. The disposal chute 120 allows the individual to use thepresent device without having to worry about where to discard the usedwipes. The disposal chute 120 is shown in FIG. 1 attached to one side103 of the body 102 (i.e. the left side of the body). However, thedisposal chute 110 is alternatively located anywhere else on the body102, such as the right side of the body. In another embodiment, thechute 110 is located inside the compartment 102. The disposal chute 120can be removable from the body 102 or alternatively mounted to the body102 permanently. In one embodiment, the disposal chute 120 includes anaperture in the top opening 122, whereby the user can dispose of theused wipes by placing or stuffing them inside the chute 120 via the topopening aperture 122. In one embodiment, the disposal chute 120 caninclude a closeable top to selectively enclose the disposal chute 120when not in use.

In one embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2, the chute 130 includes an emptyingmechanism to empty the chute 120 of disposed wipes. The mechanismpreferably includes a vertically movable surface 124 located within thechute 120 which is coupled to a slide feature 126. It is preferred thatthe movable surface 124 remains near the bottom surface of the chutewhen not in use, although not necessarily. The slide feature 126preferably protrudes through a groove 128 which is located on the outersurface of the chute 120. The movable surface 124 is configured to bemoveable in the vertical direction along the height of the chute 120upon actuation of the slide feature 126. Thus, as the slide feature 126is vertically raised along the groove 128, the attached surface 124 alsomoves vertically toward the top opening 122. As the surface 124 movestoward the top opening 122, any disposed wipes disposed in the chute 120will be pushed out of the top opening 122 of the chute 120. In anotherembodiment, the surface 124 can push the disposed wipes out of anopening in the bottom of the chute 120. It should be noted that thedisposal chute 120 and emptying mechanism can be configured in a varietyof ways and is no way limiting to the manner or means described herein.For instance, the chute 120 can merely be an expandable pouch which canbe disposable or reuseable. Alternatively, the device 100 does notinclude a disposal chute 120.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the personal dispensing device inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention, whereby thechute is located on the left side of the body 102. As shown in FIG. 2,the device includes a belt clip 130 which is attached to the rear side106 of the container body 102. The belt clip 130 allows the device 100to be carried on the user belt or other clothing. In one embodiment, thebelt clip 130 is removable from the rear side 106 of the body 102 toallow other attachment means to be coupled to the body 102. For example,the device 100 can alternatively include a magnet, adhesive, or hook andloop strap (Velcro®) on the rear surface 106 which allows the device 100to be secured to any surface.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a personal dispensing device inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 3, the device 200 includes a loop belt 206attached to the rear side 204 of the container 202. The loop belt 206allows the device 200 to be coupled to an external object, such as abottle 98 or the user arm. The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 may be usefulfor an individual exercising at a gym, whereby the individual can haveeasy access to wipes 99 while not having to carry the device 200separately. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the rear side 204 ofthe container 202 is arcuate or curved shape such that the device 200 isable to contour the curved outer surface of the object. In anotherembodiment, the rear side 204 does not have an arcuate shape. In oneembodiment, the loop 206 is adjustable such that the device 200 can beattached to any size bottle. The adjustable loop 206 would also allowthe present device 200 to be attached to any external object (e.g.shoulder strap of a backpack or diaper bag).

The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the presentinvention has been provided for the purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevantarts. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explainthe principles of the invention and its practical application, therebyenabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments and with various modifications that are suited tothe particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of theinvention be defined by the claims and their equivalence.

1. A personal dispensing device comprising a body configured to holddisposable wipes in an interior compartment, the body configured toselectively dispense wipes, wherein the body is selectively openable toinsert disposable wipes into the interior compartment.
 2. The device ofclaim 1 wherein the body further comprises an exterior surface and anaperture in the exterior surface adapted to dispense wipes therethrough,the aperture in communication with the interior compartment of the body.3. The device of claim 1 wherein the body further comprises aselectively openable lid moveable between a closed position and an openposition, wherein the interior compartment is accessible when the lid isin the open position.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein the body furthercomprises a rear external surface adapted to face an external object andhaving an attachment member coupled thereto.
 5. The device of claim 1wherein the body further comprises a rear external surface adapted toface an external object and having an attachment member coupled thereto,wherein the attachment member is an actuatable clip.
 6. The device ofclaim 1 wherein the body further comprises a rear external surfaceadapted to face an external object and having an attachment membercoupled thereto, wherein the attachment member is a loop member.
 7. Thedevice of claim 1 wherein the body further comprises a rear externalsurface having an arcuate shape, the rear external surface adapted tomate with an exterior surface of a fluid container.
 8. The device ofclaim 1 wherein the body further comprises a compartment adapted to holddiscarded wipes.
 9. A personal dispensing device comprising: a. anenclosed body having an interior compartment to hold sanitary wipes, thebody having an aperture in communication with the interior compartment;and b. a lid coupled to the body and configured to selectively allowaccess to the interior of the body.
 10. The device of claim 9 whereinthe body further comprises a rear external surface adapted to face anexternal object and having an attachment member coupled thereto.
 11. Thedevice of claim 9 wherein the body further comprises a rear externalsurface adapted to face an external object and having an attachmentmember coupled thereto, wherein the attachment member is an actuatableclip.
 12. The device of claim 9 wherein the body further comprises arear external surface adapted to face an external object and having anattachment member coupled thereto, wherein the attachment member is aloop member.
 13. The device of claim 9 wherein the body furthercomprises a rear external surface having an arcuate shape, the rearexternal surface adapted to mate with an exterior surface of a fluidcontainer.
 14. The device of claim 9 wherein the body further comprisesa compartment adapted to hold discarded wipes.
 15. A wearable personaldispensing device comprising: a. a container adapted to hold disposablewipes within, the container including an aperture to dispense the wipes,wherein the container includes a selectively openable lid to allowinsertion of the wipes into the container; and b. an attachment featurecoupled to a rear exterior surface of the container, wherein theattachment feature is adapted to attach the dispensing device to anexternal object.
 16. The device of claim 15 wherein the attachmentfeature is an actuatable clip.
 17. The device of claim 15 wherein theattachment feature is a loop member.
 18. The device of claim 15 furthercomprising a door coupled to the container to allow selective access tothe aperture.
 19. The device of claim 15 wherein the rear exteriorsurface has an arcuate shape adapted to mate with an exterior surface ofa fluid container.
 20. The device of claim 15 wherein the body furthercomprises a compartment adapted to hold discarded wipes.